Liberia

Liberia is the biggest city and the capital of Guanacaste, the province on Costa Rica's north Pacific coast, and it's the best way to access the country's most beautiful beaches. The Daniel Oduber International Airport located here has been expanding and improving over the past few years, with more and more connections to airports in the United States and Canada.

Daniel Oduber International Airport

From the airport, many beaches are between 45 minutes and 1 hour's drive away. The city is just 15 minutes from Guanacaste's adventure tourism superhub – Rincon de la Vieja National Park, where visitors will see volcanoes and can rappel down waterfalls, climb rock faces, take on whitewater rafting and fly through the forest canopy on a zipline.

Liberia itself is a small city of around 40,000 people, surrounded by plenty of cattle ranches which can definitely be noticed if you look at the fashion in town – men still wear heavy belt buckles and cowboy hats – a tradition that hasn't been lost over the years. Outside the city, keep your eyes open for men on horseback, exercising their horses to lift their knees high in a beautiful prancing action – it's a skill these cowboys are proud to present during the festival season when parades run through many of Guanacaste's towns.

White Church Liberia

Around town, you can see the white Iglesia de la Agonia and visit the Museo de Sabaneros, which has an exhibit highlighting that all-important cowboy culture.